Defender Sean Kavanagh snubs Derry City for Shamrock Rovers

FOR the second time in a matter of months Shamrock Rovers have pipped Derry City after it emerged that left-back Sean Kavanagh has decided to snub the Brandywell club in favour of joining the Tallaght men.

The Dubliner, who trained with the Candy Stripes last week, informed City boss Kenny Shiels yesterday morning that he was moving to Rovers, who clinched third spot just ahead of City last season.

He came up on Monday morning to tell me that, out of the blue, Stephen Bradley has rang him and he’s going to go to Shamrock Rovers.

Kenny Shiels

Shiels believes, with only a matter of days remaining before the transfer window shuts, he won’t get a better left-back than Kavanagh.

“I have been working on trying to sign Sean since November,” stated Shiels.

“I didn’t think I was going to get him and then Fulham agreed that they let him come to me. He has been training with us since last week, he was mixing in well and the boys loved him. However, he came up on Monday morning to tell me that, out of the blue, Stephen Bradley has rang him and he’s going to go to Shamrock Rovers.

“The minute Dean Jarvis told me he was leaving I have been working on trying to get a left-back in and I thought everything was sorted with Sean, but this left-back position seems to be some sort of jinx.”

Shiels feels the 24-year-old, who played 23 times for Championship side Fulham, has the potential to be the ‘best left-back in the league’.

“I think he’ll be the best left-back in the league,” he added. “He played 23 games in the Championship and he can play left wing as well. All the arrangements were made, we were bringing him on loan until the summer and we had sent the agreement to his agent but Rovers have come in at the last minute and signed him.”

The City gaffer will be working hard to get at least one more new face to his squad before tomorrow’s transfer deadline.

“With only two days to go, what can I do?” he asked. “Sean had trained with the team, he had made friends and we had put him up in his accommodation, as we are expecting him to come and then I got hit with that on Monday morning, but I’ll continue to work at trying to get another left-back in.

“However it’s impossible to get someone on that money, which we had agreed, as good as that. We have big Niall Logue signed up now and we have got Ben (Doherty), but left-back isn’t their primary position.”

The ex-Kilmarnock boss continues to be a frustrated man as he feels all his good work is going to waste, with the big sides across the country pinching his players.

“It seems as if I’m developing players for Dundalk, Cork City and Shamrock Rovers and that’s the feeling I get,” he explained.